ApJL: Distant Black Hole’s Spin Clocked

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MargaritaMc
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ApJL: Distant Black Hole’s Spin Clocked

Post by MargaritaMc » Fri Aug 29, 2014 3:11 pm

Mark T. Reynolds et al. 2014 ApJ 792 L19 doi:10.1088/2041-8205/792/1/L19

A RAPIDLY SPINNING BLACK HOLE POWERS THE EINSTEIN CROSS
Mark T. Reynolds, Dominic J. Walton, Jon M. Miller, and Rubens C. Reis

Extract from Abstract:

Observations over the past 20 yr have revealed a strong relationship between the properties of the supermassive black hole lying at the center of a galaxy and the host galaxy itself. The magnitude of the spin of the black hole will play a key role in determining the nature of this relationship. To date, direct estimates of black hole spin have been restricted to the local universe. Herein, we present the results of an analysis of ~0.5 Ms of archival Chandra observations of the gravitationally lensed quasar Q 2237+305 (aka the "Einstein-cross"), lying at a redshift of z = 1.695. The boost in flux provided by the gravitational lens allows constraints to be placed on the spin of a black hole at such high redshift for the first time
ArXiv preprint of A Rapidly Spinning Black Hole Powers the Einstein Cross
Mark T. Reynolds (1), Dominic J. Walton (2), Jon M. Miller (1), Rubens C. Reis (1) ((1) University of Michigan, (2) Caltech) : http://arxiv.org/abs/1408.1934
Sky and Telescope: Distant Black Hole’s Spin Clocked

By: Camille M. Carlisle | August 25, 2014
The quasar Q2237+0305 is split into four images by the gravity of a massive spiral galaxy between us and the quasar. The system is known both as the Einstein Cross and as Huchra’s Lens, the latter after the discoverer. This image comes from the 3.5-meter WIYN telescope at Kitt Peak National Observatory.
J. Rhoads (STScI) et al. / WIYN / AURA / NOAO / NSF


Earlier this year I wrote about astronomers measuring a distant black hole’s spin thanks to the magnifying, lens-like effect of a closer elliptical galaxy. The radiation from the black hole’s accretion disk had traveled 6 billion years to reach us, meaning the active galactic nucleus (AGN) has a redshift of 0.658. At the time, it was the most distant black hole spin yet measured.
That same team has now upped the ante, using the technique to measure the spin of the AGN Q2237+0305. This quasar has a redshift of 1.695, meaning its radiation has traveled nearly 10 billion years before reaching us. That’s brushing up against the peak of galaxy and star formation in the cosmos, which happened at roughly a redshift of 2 (10.4 billion years ago).
Q2237+0305 lies behind a barred spiral galaxy from our perspective. The spiral galaxy’s gravity lenses Q2237+0305’s emission into four images, creating what’s known as the Einstein Cross.
- See more at: http://www.skyandtelescope.com/astronom ... oAjQQ.dpuf
Margarita
"In those rare moments of total quiet with a dark sky, I again feel the awe that struck me as a child. The feeling is utterly overwhelming as my mind races out across the stars. I feel peaceful and serene."
— Dr Debra M. Elmegreen, Fellow of the AAAS

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